Wayanad: With BJP state president K Surendran launching his campaign on Tuesday and the incumbent M P Rahul Gandhi expected to arrive on April 3, the election scene in Wayanad has sprung to life.
Riding on her early start to the campaign, LDF candidate Annie Raja is the only candidate present in constituency for now. Sure enough, she flags the frequent absence of Rahul Gandhi in the constituency in her speeched.
“The voters here want to know whether I would remain in the constituency or will be a guest like the present MP," she said. “I had assured them that I will remain with them once elected," she said. With her fluent speeches in Malayalam at the election conventions, Annie Raja believes she could shake off her alien image being propagated by her opponents. The CPI leader said that her brothers and family members are still at Iritty and she used to visit her paternal home whenever she gets time.
She has already completed her first round of campaign in three out of seven legislative constituencies of Wayanad district. Her schedule has been packed with meeting prominent figures, attending programmes and visiting schools, religious centres and institutions.
BJP state president K Surendran, who wasted no time in kicking off the campaign soon after the declaration of his candidature. also said that if elected, he would remain with the voters for the entire term and would not be an MP on a tourist visa. He said Rahul Gandhi has failed as an MP to bring development to the backward parliamentary constituency. “Even after the central government including Wayanad in the Aspirational District Porgramme (ADP) launched in 2021, Rahul Gandhi failed to tap the opportunities," Surendran alleged.
In 2019 CPI had fielded a lesser known youth leader P P Suneer who polled only 2,74,597 votes (25 per cent) against Rahul Gandhi who won the seat bagging 7,06,367 votes (65 per cent). NDA ally BDJS (Bharath Dharma Jana Sena) candidate Thushar Vellappally, son of SNDP supremo Vellappally Natesan, polled only 78,816 votes. It is expected that unlike 2019, this year could witness a more lively contest.
Despite the protest from the CPI over the candidature of Rahul Gandhi in Wayanad, the Congress camp was adamant that Rahul should contest from Wayanad. What forced Congress leadership to reserve Wayanad for Rahul Gandhi was its pro-UDF character as all the seven legislative constituencies have a prolonged history of supporting UDF candidates.
While the campaign machinery of the Congress camp is on an idle mode at present, the mood is upbeat. Rahul Gandhi who is expected to join the campaign on April 3 is likely to submit the nominations on April 4.
“We have already completed the workers' conventions at all the party layers up to booth level," said Wayanad District Congress Committee president N D Appachan who is also the treasurer of the central election committee of the parliamentary constituency. “Moreover under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi we had implemented massive developmental activities in the constituency spending funds to the tune of Rs 300 crores through various central funded schemes and also through volunteering programmes," Appachan claimed. The party had ensured the presence of Rahul Gandhi in the district when three persons had lost their lives recently during wildlife attacks.
In 2019 there was an expectation among voters that if the UPA alliance won, Rahul Gandhi was a prospective PM candidate, which is very much missing this time. However Congress pins hope on the strong minority vote bank in the constituency.
